Orphans and Widows

Occurrences in Scripture

In the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament, orphans and widows frequently appear together as a word pair designating those who are to be protected. They are often grouped with the sojourner (stranger).

• The Law: Exodus 22:22 commands, "Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child." Deuteronomy 10:18 says that God "doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger." The tithe at the end of every third year was to feed the Levites, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (Deuteronomy 14:28-29), and at harvest time forgotten sheaves and leftover produce were to be left for them (Deuteronomy 24:19-21).
• The Psalms and the Prophets: Psalm 68:5 calls God "a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows." The prophets rebuked the oppression of such people as a prime example of injustice (Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 7:6; Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5).

Background

In Hebrew, the word for orphan is yatom and the word for widow is almanah. Yatom is understood to refer primarily to a child who has lost his or her father rather than to a child who has lost both parents.

In ancient Israel, land and property were generally passed down through the male head of the household, and the person who represented the household in court was also a man. The loss of a husband or father therefore often meant the loss of both livelihood and legal protection. Levirate marriage (Deuteronomy 25:5-10) and the institution of the kinsman-redeemer served to remedy this situation. Levirate marriage was the custom by which the brother of a man who died without a son married the widow in order to continue the family line. The story of the widows Naomi and Ruth (the Book of Ruth) is an example.

Language presenting the protection of the vulnerable as a royal duty is also known to appear in other law codes and inscriptions of the ancient Near East.

Significance Across the Bible

The Old Testament grounds the command to care for orphans and widows in the character of God. The New Testament continues this theme.

• The ministry of Jesus: Jesus rebuked the scribes who devoured widows' houses (Mark 12:40) and raised the only son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). The central figure of the Parable of the Unjust Judge is also a widow.
• The early church: When the widows of the Hellenistic Jews were being neglected in the daily distribution, the church appointed seven men (Acts 6:1-6). 1 Timothy 5:3-16 sets out criteria for the "widows indeed" whom the church was to support.
• The definition of true religion: James 1:27 describes pure religion as "to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction."
• Figurative usage: The term is also used to describe the condition of having no one to depend on, as when Jesus told his disciples in John 14:18, "I will not leave you comfortless" (literally, "orphans").

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• Scope of application: Some read the term primarily in terms of individual and congregational almsgiving, while others extend it to questions of social structures and justice. In Korea, progressive circles have emphasized the latter, while evangelical circles have traditionally placed greater emphasis on the former. Since the rise of the Lausanne Movement, however, a current within evangelicalism has also affirmed social responsibility.
• The roll of widows: Some regard the roll of widows in 1 Timothy 5 as evidence of an office or order of widows in the early church, while others view it simply as a list of those receiving relief.
• The widow's offering: The widow's two mites in Mark 12:41-44 are commonly preached as a model of sacrificial giving. Another interpretation, however, reads the passage together with the immediately preceding verse (12:40) and sees it as an indictment of religious leaders who exploited widows.
• Meaning of the word: Today the word "orphan" denotes a child who has lost both parents, but the biblical term is broader and includes a child who has lost his or her father.

In the Korean Church

Many churches maintain relief offerings or relief committees to help neighbors in need, frequently citing James 1:27 and the provisions of Deuteronomy as their basis. After the Korean War, churches and missionaries took part in aiding war orphans and widows. The origins of World Vision and Compassion Korea are also known to be connected with aid to war orphans.